Experts to Explain Strategies for Kitsap SEED at Wednesday Public Meeting

Ongoing questions about a proposed high-tech business park, known as Kitsap SEED, could be answered in business plans released Friday as well as during public discussions next week, officials say.

One business plan addresses a Northwest Clean Technology Incubator, a facility that would launch new companies and help them grow to maturity. The Kitsap Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Project is focused on business sectors that include clean energy, renewable materials and environmental safeguards.

The second business plan deals with a Sustainable Practices Institute, sort of a "think tank" designed to further research and education in the clean-technology field. The institute is considered a key part of the support network for the business incubator.

"These documents are broad and thorough," said Ken Attebery, executive director for the Port of Bremerton. "They contain a set of solid principles."

The business plans were developed after studying other business incubators and research institutes throughout the world, Attebery said. The business plans are still in draft form, but they lay out strategies for the business park, which could eventually employ more than 1,000 people.

The Port of Bremerton is moving ahead with plans to break ground this fall on a 24,000-square-foot building that could house up to 18 startup businesses within the incubator. If successful, more buildings would be constructed on the 75-acre site near Bremerton National Airport. Over time, some of the businesses could establish manufacturing plants on other port property.

So far, the port has letters of intent from three companies: one focused on biofuels, one on ethanol production and one on hydrogen fuel cells, Attebery said.

A public meeting and open house Wednesday could help people understand the overall business model, he said. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. at Klahowya Secondary School on Newberry Hill Road in Central Kitsap. The meeting will include presentations by Mithun, which is designing the "green" building; Business Cluster Development, which wrote the business plan for the incubator; and O'Brien and Co., which created a plan for the Sustainable Practices Institute.

As proposed, the business incubator would be launched with a director and office manager. The program would include training for business managers, a network of experts in the clean-tech sector and programs to "commercialize" new technology, such as building manufacturing facilities.

The business model includes a budget supported by 50 percent rent from client companies, 40 percent from government agencies and 10 percent from business sponsors.

According to the report, venture capital for clean technology increased to $1.6 billion in 2005, a 35 percent increase over 2005, with additional increases in 2006.

The Sustainable Practices Institute could partner with major educational institutions in Washington state. Attebery said he is encouraged by recent discussions with officials at the University of Washington's Tacoma campus as well as officials with Washington State University's Extension Energy Program.